Roslindale food pantry helps those in need all year

Thursday

Nov 17, 2011 at 12:01 AMNov 17, 2011 at 5:12 PM

Feeding about 700 people is a daunting and essential task that the Roslindale Food Pantry performs each month. And, not surprisingly, the need for food, donations and volunteers is even greater this year.

Julie M. Cohen/Wicked Local West Roxbury and Roslindale

Feeding about 700 people is a daunting and essential task that the Roslindale Food Pantry performs each month. And, not surprisingly, the need for food, donations and volunteers is even greater this year.

The situation for many “has gotten progressively worse … in this depressed economy,” said Carol Gracia, co-chairwoman of Roslindale Congregational Church’s missions team.

The pantry, which is located in the church at 25 Cummins Highway, will be supplying an impressive 300 turkeys and all the fixings for Thanksgiving to those who have already signed up from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 21.

However, although Roche Brothers in West Roxbury has donated all the turkeys, Gracia said the pantry still needs gravy packets, stuffing, canned corn, frozen and bottled concentrate juice, rolls, and small packages of rice, among other items.

“The people in this congregation are stunningly generous,” said Gracia, a Westwood native who has lived in Roslindale for four years. While many think of the holidays as a time to give, she emphasized “people need food all year round,” not just on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Aside from church donations, this year the pantry has received a contribution from the Taste of Roslindale fundraiser held in September. The pantry also receives grants from the Boston Food Bank and Project Bread to help keep it going.

The pantry “is a very grassroots organization,” said Gracia. “If people want to just donate items, that’s great … (and) there’s always a big need for volunteers,” she noted.

The Rev. Ms. Branwen L. Cook of the Roslindale Congregational Church said that although a date for the Christmas food giveaway has not yet been set, people can sign up until the week before the holiday.

If you would like to make a food donation, drop-off times at the pantry are Tuesday and Thursday from 8 a.m.-noon. Clients come from 12-2. There are also food donation boxes at Roche Brothers at 1800 Centre St., West Roxbury.

If you would like to make a monetary donation, checks can be made payable to “Roslindale Food Pantry” and sent to: The Roslindale Congregational Church, UCC, attn. Food Pantry, 25 Cummins Highway, Roslindale, MA 02131.

For more information on making donations or volunteering, you can call the Food Pantry at 617-325-9755 or the church at 617-323-8302.

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